Help Me Out
by blue morning tide
Summary: AU: Kagome's father has left, and she goes on a cruise to take her mind off things. Inuyasha has a debt to repay, but can't keep a job long enough to make any money. He gets a job on a ship so he can't get kicked off. What happens when they meet? IYKag
1. Default Chapter

a/n: Hi everyone! This is the first fanfiction I've ever posted on this site, and I hope you like it! Please, no flames, if I receive any, they'll be used to light a torch, with which I will chase you down... only to find that my only defense is an evil glare... but please, despite my obvious weakness, DON'T FLAME ME.  
So now, it's time for you to R & R & R &R! (That's "rest, relax, read, and review" *^^* )  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha (like you didn't know that already)... but I'm pretty sure that my friend Kenzi owns Kouga! *^^*  
  
+ * + Help Me Out * Chapter One * Happy Birthday! + * +  
  
"Come on Kagome, think of it as your birthday present," Sango pleaded. The two girls were sitting outside a café, drinks in hand, on a hot summer day. Too hot to even think of being active, but too beautiful to imagine staying inside, the day had left them at a loss and, not knowing what to do, Sango and Kagome had spent nearly two hours at the same café already. They had talked about just about everything by now, and the topic had turned from the heat to swimming, to swim teams, to sports, to school, to only four more weeks of summer break, to Kagome's birthday next week, to Kagome's birthday present.  
  
"Look, Sango. I don't want you to spend a whole lot of money on me, even if you do have enough!" Kagome said. But, in addition to being rich, Sango was stubborn, too. She knew Kagome might be a bit skeptical at first, so she had prepared some very convincing arguments to persuade her.  
  
"Look, your mom thinks it's a great idea, too. She says a cruise is just what you need to get your mind off your dad..." Noticing the pained look in Kagome's eyes, Sango stopped short. She bit her lip. "Kagome, I'm sorry."  
  
"No, it's alright. Don't worry about it. I mean it's just a divorce, it's not like I'll never see him again." She gave Sango a feeble smile, and then frowned, thoughtful. "Maybe I should go on that cruise. A vacation would be nice..."  
  
"That's the spirit! We'll have the best time! I hear the ship has a water slide, and a five-star restaurant, and a midnight buffet, and a casino, and a pizzeria that's open 24 hours a day, and-"  
  
"Sango!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Slow down!"  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
"Damn it! I'm never gonna pay off that debt!" Inuyasha slammed his fist down on the table in front of him so hard that he sent a spider web of cracks across its surface. "I'll be ninety years old, and Naraku will still be lording it over me!"  
  
"You got fired, again?" Miroku asked his furious friend, knowing he probably wasn't helping much. "What was it this time? Losing your temper? Bad attitude? Scaring away the customers?"  
  
"Oh, shut up Miroku, before I grind you into dust!" Inuyasha glared. "For your information, some fucking customer started cussing me out, saying I got his order wrong when the order he was looking at wasn't even his! So, naturally, I started cussing right back at him-"  
  
"Ooooohh, bad move Inuyasha, bad move."  
  
"Well, what did you expect me to do?!"  
  
"How about pointing out politely that it wasn't his order?" Miroku advised, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Inuyasha grunted.  
  
"You know me better than that," he said, smirking. "Or at least, you should by now."  
  
"Yeah, I guess good manners aren't really your thing, are they?" Miroku replied, shaking his head solemnly. "But you know, that's no excuse... I mean, you get fired nearly twice a month, sometimes more! What are you gonna do now?"  
  
"I don't know... and to tell you the truth, I was hoping you had some idea..." Inuyasha held his forehead in his hand. "Summer vacation's gonna be over soon, and once school starts up again, I won't have much time to work..."  
  
He looked up at Miroku. "You can help me, can't you? I mean, you had that job earlier this summer, and it payed pretty well, right?"  
  
"You mean the ship?" Inuyasha nodded. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I don't think you've got what it takes to work on a cruise ship..."  
  
"Aww, come on Miroku. The only reason you're so reluctant to help me get a job is you think I'll steal all the beautiful women from you," Inuyasha said, wearing his trademark smirk. Miroku looked away, somewhat guiltily, and you could see this statement held some truth. "Face it Miroku," Inuyasha continued jokingly, "I'm better looking than you, I always have been, and I always will be!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Miroku replied sulkily. "I'll get you a job on the ship. But you better not blow this, Inuyasha! The cruise lasts two weeks, so you can't decide to quit after two days!"  
  
"Yeah, okay," Inuyasha said breezily, quickly brushing off Miroku's warning. "Thanks Miroku! I am forever in your debt!"  
  
"Just make sure you leave a girl for me, and we'll be even..."  
  
+ *  
  
+  
  
a/n: Sorry this chapter isn't that long... and I think I should warn you now—I haven't written this whole story yet, though I have a vague idea of what will happen. I don't now if the "reviews=faster updates" rule works, but I say it's worth a try! So....  
  
now that you've completed the first three R's (see first author's note), it's time for the final and most important one—REVIEW!!!  
  
Thanks ^^  
  
Oh, and here's something I've been thinking about lately— It's, like, all Buyo's fault that the Inuyasha story happened. If he had decided to sleep in that morning instead of going into the well house, Kagome wouldn't have fallen in! But wait... maybe if they had fed him more the night before, he would have slept more, so it's the fault of whoever fed him!  
  
... *.* ::dazed::  
  
Well, anyways... if you want to tell me your opinion about the above ramblings, please do!  
  
That's all for now, so  
  
R E V I E W ! ! ! 


	2. The Plane

Fate: OH MY GOD, I ACTUALLY GOT SOME REVIEWS!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Blue: I own Inuyasha and there's nothing you can do to stop me! Bwahahaha! *law people glare at Blue* Blue: *sweatdrop* ..... except maybe that. ALRIGHT! So I don't own Inuyasha, you don't gotta rub it in my face!  
  
Quick note: I have never- and can hardly hope ever to have- ridden in an airplane first-class. (Did that sentence make any sense?) Also, I have no idea how long it takes to fly from Japan to Florida. So if my description is inaccurate, blame it on my malfunctioning muse. Thank you!  
  
Now, you remember my little system, don't you? R&R&R&R!!  
  
Okay, here's what you've all been waiting for.....  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
Help Me Out  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, what?"  
  
"Are you enjoying yourself?"  
  
"Of course!" Kagome smiled. She was seated in one of the large, leather seats in first class on a plane to Miami with Sango. Flying first-class had been Sango's idea at first, but Kagome wasn't about to complain! Talk about star treatment! But on a twelve-hour flight like this one, even star treatment begins to get tiresome, and Kagome had taken to staring out the window. She and Sango had taken a late flight, and were scheduled to arrive in Miami at around 8:30 the next morning. As of right then, it was only midnight.  
  
Kagome had never realized the sky was so different when you were flying over water. In Tokyo, the city lights outshone the stars, but here..... HERE you could see millions of stars, in every direction you looked!  
  
Kagome sighed appreciatively. It was so beautiful...  
  
'If only I didn't feel so sick...' she thought. Despite her pleasure at being on a first-class flight to Florida (a/n: ooooo, alliteration!), Kagome had been feeling a little queasy ever since she stepped on the plane.  
  
It must have shown on her face because Sango soon inquired. "Kagome, are you alright? You don't look so good..."  
  
"Thanks, Sango," Kagome replied dryly.  
  
"Oh, come on, I didn't mean it like that and you know it!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry; I just have a bit of air-sickness, that's all."  
  
"Alright...."  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
"No! Don't do it, Margarite! That's not Julius! It's his twin brother! No! Don't do it!" Miroku was screaming (not literally, but you get the idea) at the cheesy in-flight movie that was playing.  
  
Inuyasha pretended not to know him as everyone around them turned to see what the racket was about (again).  
  
The last eight hours had been hell for him as he endured endless rounds of tic-tac-toe, terrible airline food, a passenger (who happened to sit right in front of him) who just had to lean back in his seat (which was very uncomfortable for poor Inu), and now a sappy, corny, idiotic movie that somehow managed to last for 3 hours- and was still going. Not to mention the constant (and loud) commentary that kept spouting from Miroku's mouth.  
  
'God, why dost thou torture me so??' Inuyasha thought miserably. Noticing that God wasn't answering his question, he picked up on his chant again—the one he'd been using for the whole plane ride (varying slightly, of course)—'Only four more hours, only four more hours, only four more hours...'  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
a/n: sorry it's so short, but I think all of my chapters will be like this... ^^; or most of them, anyways. Also, it's snowing today and school was canceled! I'm a happy little Fate, now, and wanted to post this. It's not much, but I hope you enjoyed it!  
  
Please Review! I'm so happy that people have reviewed so far, and I think I'm getting a little greedy for them.... But just so you know..... As soon as I saw that I had reviews for this story, I immediately started writing/typing this chapter. 


	3. Worries

a/n: I can't believe I'm actually going to write a third chapter..... You see, I have always had a problem with that.... I start stories and hardly ever get past halfway through writing the second chapter. (Pitiful, I know) ^^;  
  
Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Inuyasha's not mine, so YOU CAN'T SUE!  
  
HOW'S THAT FOR A POEM?!  
  
Okay, getting on with it...  
  
R&R&R&R!!  
  
+*+  
  
*+*  
  
+*+ Help Me Out * Chapter 3 * Worries +*+  
  
*+*  
  
+*+  
  
"Sango? I just thought of something," Kagome said nervously as they exited the airplane and headed off to pick up their luggage. She was still feeling a little queasy and was beginning to become afraid of the cruise ship. If a plane ride upset her stomach this much, she hated to think what a rocking, rickety boat might do.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Umm... it's just that...."  
  
"Spit it out, Kagome!" Sango said, somewhat impatiently.  
  
"We're in America right now! And neither of us is very fluent in English!"  
  
"..." Sango seemed at a loss for words for a moment. But only for a moment. Like always, she had thought it out already (not completely, but enough to satisfy herself that it would all work out) and was quick to reassure Kagome. "Don't worry! We know enough English to get by.... And besides, most of the people who work on the ship are going to be from other countries, as well as many of the passengers. In fact, it is very possible that we'll find a few other people who speak Japanese, and we can all hang out together!"  
  
'Well, isn't she just the most optimistic person ever...' Kagome thought. Despite Sango's reassuring, she still had her doubts.  
  
'Aw, come on Kagome. Get yourself together! You didn't come on this trip to be stressed, you came to relax!' she berated herself mentally. 'Well' she argued. 'How am I supposed to relax when I don't understand what anybody around me is SAYING?!?!'  
  
It was as she was walking towards her luggage and mentally beating herself up that she ran into something.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
As Miroku dragged Inuyasha off of the plane (not that he needed any help—he was dying to get out of there), he began lecturing him on how he should behave on the ship.  
  
"You'll be working the midnight buffet until 2 am, and then you have a shift at the pizzeria until 5, so—"  
  
But Inuyasha wouldn't let him finish. "WHAT?!"  
  
"What, what?" Miroku asked, as if he didn't already know the answer.  
  
"I'm supposed to stay up all night baking pizzas??"  
  
"And setting out food at the buffet," Miroku added, knowing he wasn't helping. "And refilling the ice-cream machines. And also, you'll need to clean tables in between."  
  
"When am I supposed to get any sleep?"  
  
"During the day, of course! For the next two weeks, Inuyasha, you are officially nocturnal!" Miroku was enjoying the look on Inuyasha's face.  
  
"Damn it!" Inuyasha snarled. "... And what about you, huh? What have you gotta do?"  
  
"I will be working the bar in the Sengoku Lounge from 7 to 10 o'clock at night." Miroku stated somewhat proudly.  
  
"WHAT?!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
"Not this again. What, what?" Miroku asked, exasperated.  
  
"How come you're not working in the wee hours of the morning and I am?! And... wait a second... how come you have a job in a bar when you're not even old enough to drink yet?"  
  
"Number one, I can work in a bar no matter what age I am, so long as I don't start drinking. Number two, the reason I don't have to work 'in the wee hours of the morning' as you so nicely put it, is because I have worked here before, they know who I am, and they know I'm a good worker. You, on the other hand are new. You have to work your way up from the bottom, Inuyasha!" Miroku said. "Maybe if you do a good job, you'll be promoted or something." Then, below his breath, he added "Like that's ever going to happen...."  
  
Inuyasha heard that last comment, of course, but decided not to say anything. Instead he sneered at his 'friend' and sped up toward Baggage Claim.  
  
And abruptly ran into someone, sending her stumbling.  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
a/n: I'm sorry I'm stopping here. I know it's short, but I wanted to post this. Would that count as a cliffhanger?  
  
Review Responses! This is the first time I've done this, I'll keep doing them (if I remember and am not too lazy)  
  
********  
  
Ks-Starshine: I don't think he will.....but that's a good idea. Like I said in chapter one, I don't have the whole story planned out yet.  
  
Eddie4- Yes, I know that already. And I'm kinda disappointed you didn't put anything else in your review. But oh well.... Maybe you will next time?  
  
SMILY- I'm not sure who will be in the story. If I can find a way to work them in, they'll be in the story.  
  
Emily- Don't worry, you're not crazy! I do that all the time.  
  
Sango13- I'm glad you think it's going well. I'm going to try to write longer chapters as I get further into the story. I just wanted to post some first to see what kind of reaction I'd get.  
  
Lilacks- No! Not the puppy eyes! Now I have to update! And I know what you mean (about the "good-bye" thing) I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that! WhooHoo! I live in North Carolina. Maybe you saw us on the news? We got 16 in. of snow (at my house, anyways) last week. Probably it'll be the biggest snowstorm I'll ever see in my life.  
  
Punklunargoddess0- Thanks! Glad you like it. I wish the chapters were longer too!  
  
Monkeymary89- I was going to, but it's NC17 and I don't usually read stories with ratings that high... Anyways, keep reading!  
  
Kenzi- Thank you! Boy, do you yell a lot! Keep reviewing!  
  
*******  
  
Okay, that's about it, I think.  
  
Blue: I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed... ::gives reviewers little Inu-Plushies:: Keep it up!  
  
MyMalfunctioningMuse: You're lucky you got any reviews at all! Your chapters are too short!  
  
Blue: I know, I know!!  
  
MMM: Well, fix it!  
  
Blue: I'll try...  
  
MMM: ::snort:: yeah right! You're too lazy!  
  
Blue: Am not! I promise to make the chapters longer!  
  
MMM: ...  
  
MMM: Ah, yes, I just remembered something. On behalf of... well.... myself... I am going to ask you readers for some help. I'm need suggestions on stuff to happen in the story, if anyone has any-  
  
Blue: NOW WHO'S LAZY?!?!?!  
  
MMM: Uhhh.... As I was saying... I can't guarantee your idea would be used, but I would like some suggestions.  
  
Blue: Bye everybody!! Don't forget to review!!! ::waves frantically:: 


	4. Oof!

a/n: I know, I know, I took too long to write this chapter. You see, I went into what I call a "reading frenzy", meaning I don't get on the computer half as much as I normally do and read real books twice as much as usual. Also, my computer went all stupid again (the internet stopped working, among other things), and I got a big project due in Language Arts on the play "The Crucible". It's due this week and I have yet to start on it, so forgive me if this chapter sounds kind of choppy. It's because I keep on stopping and working on my project, then starting again.  
  
Anyways...  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Inu ain't mine, Please don't sue, Now here's the chappy- Read and review!  
  
--is proud of her poem  
  
Help Me Out Chapter 4 Oof!   
  
"Oof!" Kagome went sprawling as someone knocked into her. Her bags flew across the floor a ways and the contents of her purse spilled out. "Oh, shit..." Quickly getting to her knees, she crawled across the floor gathering up her belongings before they got trampled.  
  
"Inuyasha!" a voice said behind her. "Apologize!"  
  
"Keh! Why should I? She was standing in my way. It's her own fault!"  
  
Kagome's eyes narrowed angrily as she continued collecting her things off the ground. The nerve! She was in his way?! Internally fuming, she was unprepared for the hand held out in front of her, an offer of assistance from a boy about her age with black hair tied in a tiny rattail in the back.  
  
"You'll have to excuse Inuyasha," the boy said as Kagome took his hand and he pulled her up. "He doesn't have the best manners..."  
  
"Oh, that's all right," Kagome replied, aware of the fact that just a moment ago she had been furious.  
  
"My name is Miroku, and on behalf of my rude, dolt of a friend, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies."  
  
"Thank you," Kagome said a bit nervously. Miroku hadn't let go of her hand yet... "Ummm... do you think... you could... ummm... let go now?"  
  
"Why, of course, milady!" he replied, still not letting go of her hand.  
  
"Ummmm....." Kagome was beginning to get extremely frustrated with this guy. If he didn't let go soon, she'd-  
  
Bap !  
  
The other boy- the one who bumped into her earlier- bopped his friend on the head with a fist. "Can it, Miroku!" he said, with about as much irritation in his voice as was in Kagome's. "This is no time to be perverted! Weren't you just pestering me about manners??" His voice dripped with sarcasm. He did not feel like putting up with Miroku's antics.  
  
Kagome, who had been busy dealing with Miroku, had not yet had a good look at the person who had knocked her down earlier. Looking at him now, she was admittedly startled by his appearance. He had long, black hair and deep, violet eyes (a/n: yes people, he's human in this fic). He would have been positively handsome were it not for the scowl on his face...  
  
"And what are you staring at, wench?" the boy asked irritably. Apparently, the old saying was true—you really can't judge a book by its cover...  
  
"Hey, Kagome, what happened?" Sango had finally noticed the Kagome was no longer following her.  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine," Kagome said, shooting a death glare at a certain purple-eyed boy. "Come on, Sango. We need to get our luggage." She grabbed Sango's hand and began to haul her off towards baggage claim.  
  
Miroku watched them as they stalked off and whistled. "I'm liking America already!"  
  
"Oh shut up, you pervert!" Inuyasha said crossly. "Let's just go get our stuff." And with that, he headed in the direction the two girls had gone in just a second before, leaving Miroku behind.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!"  
  
a/n: I know, super short chappy... i feel so guilty. I don't update in forever, then i give you this! So sorry! I promise to try harder! 


	5. Boarding

a/n: Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm so glad you all aren't mad at me for the short chappy! I hope I can make this one longer!

Disclaimer: yo no poseo el Inuyasha. Inuyasha no es mina.

.../....../.....................

Help Me Out

.../.........

Chapter Five

.../.........

Boarding

.../....../.....................

"Here we are!" Sango announced as they opened the door to the cabin they would be sharing and walked in. "Sure took us long enough to find it, ne?"

"Sure did..." Kagome said, gratefully dropping her bags on the floor and heading straight for the window. '_Hmmm..... I wonder what kind of view we have?_' She pulled the blinds up to find.....

... A wall

"The windows are just for decoration, Kagome. Cabins cost a whole lot more if you want one with an actual _purpose_," Sango explained, seeing Kagome's disappointed face.

Kagome sighed. "Figures..." She closed the blinds again and looked around at the room she'd inhabit for the next two weeks.

Their cabin wasn't all that big. Just large enough for two beds that folded up into the wall, a small kitchen area, and a bathroom. '_Well, at least I'll be able to take showers on this ship..._' Kagome thought. (She had been worried about that!)

"What should we do now?" Sango asked. "Do you wanna unpack, or explore the ship, or what?"

"I dunno, why don't you decide?"

"Hmmm... we can unpack later, let's check out the pool!"

.../....../......................

Miroku led the way through a crowded building. Hundreds of people were in lines, going through security, getting anything they'd need for there stay (important stuff— like room keys and complementary magnets). The employees entered from a different area of the building though, and pushing their way through the crowds to get there was not easy in the least.

"God, how many people are getting on this ship, anyways?" Inuyasha asked, extremely frustrated.

"Hmmm..." Miroku thought for a moment. "Probably a couple hundred... why do you ask?"

Inuyasha had nothing to say to that, so he just continued to follow Miroku as ably as he could.

They eventually arrived at a much shorter line leading up to two women behind a long counter. The line, despite being shorter than the others, still seemed to take forever, as the women asked each person a few questions—name, age, place of birth— to make sure each person was who they said they were. Then they gathered more information, such as what languages each person spoke (they had to be at least bilingual) and their measurements (in order to give them their uniforms. Miroku was listening _very_ attentively, almost _too_ attentively, to that part of the questioning, at least when it was a woman being questioned...

There were only about 4 or 5 people total who spoke Japanese. _'I guess I'll be speaking in English for the next two weeks...'_ Inuyasha thought. Then he remembered the two girls from the airport. They had been speaking Japanese. _'I wonder if they're on this cruise, too.'_ He knew it wasn't likely, but he'd like to be able to talk with _someone_ without having to think about every word and every sentence he said.

They finally reached the front of the line, answered their questions (in English) and got their uniforms. They were both quite different— Miroku's being classier because he'd be working the bar during the day. Inuyasha's outfit was plain white, befitting of his job at the midnight buffet and pizzeria... '_Hmm... pizzeria... that'll be my first stop when I get on the ship..._' he thought, as his stomach growled.

Carrying their luggage and uniforms, Inuyasha and Miroku walked into the _Jewel_, the huge ship that would be their home and workplace for the next two weeks.

.../....../......................

okay, so that's, like, the end of this chapter. When i started writing it, it was last school year... man, i feel really bad for makin y'all wait... i just that whenever i thought "i should work on that chapter....", i said to myself, "no, you should just go _read_ fanfiction.... Such-and-such story just got updated!" and that's the way it is. ::looks at last time she updated:: Oo May?!?! I'm so sorry, y'all!!!!

I'd like to think that this chapter is longer than the others, but i can't really tell......

But as always, review! Tell me what you think, kay? And if you've noticed that i haven't updated in a while, just review again.... Each review i get helps me get a little further in the chapter, but production all but stops when i don't get any.......

V click the button


	6. Sickness

a/n:

Blue: Ok, today is September 28, and i'm gonna try to get this written and posted by the end of the week

_MMM: Ha! Like _that's_ ever gonna happen!_

Blue: Shut up, you....

_MMM: Heh, that's not gonna happen either. Oh yeah— hi guys! I'm back from muse school!_  
Blue: Already??

_MMM: Yeah, I was such a great muse, they graduated me early!_

Blue: Ok, now it's my turn to say it—like _that_ would ever happen! Tell the truth! You got kicked out!

_MMM: ..._

Blue: Bwaha!! I knew it!!

_MMM: say the disclaimer and start the chapter already..._

Blue: Aww... but that'll ruin my triumphant mood...

_MMM: SAY IT!_

Blue: Awww.... Ok....... "I do not own Inuyasha".... My friends do... i wasn't quick enough to lay a claim on him..... pfooie

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

**Chapter 6**

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

**Sickness**

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Ugghh..." Kagome winced. The air sickness she had had on the plane hadn't gone away and was now coupled by the seasickness. '_Or maybe I just have motion sickness,_' she thought. '_Or, maybe I'm just plain sick_.'

The first day, or rather, afternoon, on the ship had been quite interesting. Kagome was astonished to find, when she and Sango headed for the pool, that there were eleven floors on the ship. The Lobby, which was a large, open area on the second floor, could be seen from all of the floors above it, and they had glass elevators to take you from floor to floor. They got an elevator as quickly as possible (which wasn't quick at all—it seemed everybody was using them) and headed for the deck. A sign on the wall of the elevator listed the things on each floor. Kagome made a note of some things in her head— '_Restaurant, 5th floor... wow, a theater, 6th floor... casino-where-i-can't-go, 7th floor... lounges, 8th floor... eatery, 9th floor... ah! The pool! 10th floor!_'— and, speak of the devil, with that thought the bell dinged and the doors opened. Sango and Kagome walked quickly, almost jogged, to the doors leading to the deck.

The pool was crowded. _Very_ crowded. It was not as big as Kagome had expected it to be, and it seemed that most people (especially children) had had the same idea that she and Sango did. It was blatantly obvious that they wouldn't be able to swim around at the moment, so they made their way to the railing and peered over the edge and into the harbor. Surprisingly, dozens of people were sitting on the docks, waving at the ship. '_Oh, their seeing people off! Of course. Not everyone is coming on this cruise from overseas, doofus,_' she thought, watching as somebody dived off the dock (or rather, belly-flopped) for no apparent reason. She giggled. She obviously wasn't the only doofus in the world.

Looking down at the water below, she felt her stomach give a small heave. "Ugh..."

"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked worriedly.

"Naw, I suppose my airsickness just hasn't left completely yet," she said. That was probably it... "I'll feel better in no time, don't worry!"

"Alright... well, the boat will launch in about half an hour, and that's always fun to watch. What do you want to do until then?"

"Hmmm... I don't know. Why don't we go check out the live music in the lobby?"

That was how most of the day went. They walked from place to place, exploring the ship. They discovered some lounges on the 8th floor that looked good. Kagome felt fine until the ship set off— then her stomach started acting up again. '_Maybe I just need some food_,' she thought. But the problem continued after dinner and on into the night. They visited the Sengoku lounge, where a DJ was playing some music. It was in English, but Kagome and Sango didn't mind. They had a good time just hanging out, until Kagome's head started to hurt. It started as just a slight pain above her forehead, then elevated to a full-blown migraine.

"Sango, I'm gonna head back to the cabin, ok?"

"Why, is something wrong?

"Oh, I just have a headache, and the music isn't really helping."

"Ok. Do you have a room key?"

"Yeah. See you later." Kagome left the lounge, immediately relaxing as she stepped into the quiet hallway. She went downstairs to the third floor and, after many switch-backs and turn-arounds, found her room. Somebody had been in there to tidy up and pull down the beds from the wall, and Kagome silently thanked them that she didn't have to do it herself. She climbed into bed and just laid there for a while, eyes open. Finally she realized that, though she was sick, she wasn't tired. '_Oh great. I have a headache and I can't go to sleep. What should I do?_' Kagome was extremely unwilling to simply lie there for who-knows-how-long before falling asleep. Watching TV didn't seem like a great idea...

'_I might as well explore some more. Nothing else to do_,' she thought, and rolled out of bed. She was getting better at finding her way around and was able to get back to the elevators without much trouble, and she rode up to the 9th floor. '_Hmm... "Eatery"... might as well see what kind of food they have. Who knows? Maybe they'll have some chicken soup or something..._' Kagome stepped off the elevator and into a big dining room. Nothing fancy, like the restaurant downstairs. It had circular tables all over the place, with a bar on one side of the room, a pizzeria on the other, and an island in the middle where the midnight buffet items were laid out (this was also where four icecream machines were located).

Kagome scanned over the contents of the buffet but, finding no soup, soon directed her attention to the other cure-all. '_An icecream cone is exactly what I need right now_,' she thought, smiling. Then she winced as pain shot through her head once more. '_Oww... I'm gonna have to stop thinking so much. My head's going to explode!_'

Getting a small sugar cone and filling it with chocolate-and-vanilla swirl icecream, she sat down at a table as quickly as possible, before her stomach or her head could make her fall over. Licking her icecream slowly, she looked around again. There weren't very many people in the room. Of the sixty or so small tables only three were occupied. That wasn't very surprising, considering how late it was. Or was it early? Kagome had no idea of the time at all. Over in the bar a man with a short beard was polishing martini glasses, and in the pizzeria a boy with long black hair was looking _very_ bored. '_Hmm..._' Kagome thought. '_Why does he look familiar? Hmm?! He's looking at me!_'

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Inuyasha was _bored_. B-O-R-E-D, bored. Sitting behind a counter in the middle of the night was not fun at all. There were some TVs across the room beside the bar, but that was pretty far away and Inuyasha couldn't see them clearly. '_Man, how long does this shift last?!_'

He felt someone's eyes on him. He ignored it for awhile, but soon it became unnerving. Looking up with a scowl on his face, his eyes connected with those of a girl sitting by the buffet, with an icecream cone in her hand. She looked sort of familiar... Before he could think about it anymore, the girl quickly averted her eyes, and Inuyasha realized he had been staring.

"Damn it," he cursed, and hastily busied himself checking on a pizza that was cooking in the kitchen behind him. (Believe it or not, there were still customers at the pizzeria in the early A.M. Not a lot, but a few, and pizza needed to be available.) It was a convenient excuse to get away from that girl.

Unfortunately, his thoughts were harder to redirect. '_Who was she?_' he wondered. '_Why does she look familiar?_'

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a/n: okay, so that's the end of that chapter. I actually finished it Friday night, but i didn't get a chance to post it until now. I think it might be the quickest chapter I've turned out!

Sorry for the cliffhanger, btw. I find that it's easier for me to start a new chapter if i have a place to start up at . Hope ya don't hate me for it.

_MMM: Remember! Review! I love hearing from y'all!_

Blue: And I love it even more! Review! Review Review Review!!!


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